B. Whatever happens at the end is the result
of the events in the middle.

a. Sometimes it answers or resolves
the tension, sometimes it leaves the reader with a pounding
heart.

Additional hints for good writing:

1. Show, Don't Tell.

Tell

Show

He was sloppy.

He dragged his sleeve through the
spaghetti sauce.

She was glad to see me.

When she saw me, she ran, arms open,
to give me a wonderful bear-hug hello.

I was clumsy.

I stumbled into the hall.

John had a cold.

John coughed until his ribs ached. He
wiped his sore, scabbed nose for what seemed the millionth
time as he reached for another cough drop.

2. Description - Use the five senses.
Before you write, add some scary words to this list.

See - Use color - red, blue; bright

Touch - hard, cold, wet, rough

Smell - Cinnamon, rose, musky, rank

Sound - crunch, snap, whistle

Taste - bitter, sweet, sour

3. Verbs are important. They actually
help set the tone and are quite descriptive in a short
story

Example: Bland - Jane said. More descriptive -
Jane screamed.

4. Put ideas in reader's head -
foreshadow.

"It was Christmas eve, when Santa Claus
delivers gifts to children around the world in a bell decked sleigh.
.... John had just laid his head on his pillow when he heard a
distant jingle of bells. (Christmas Eve, Santa Claus and bell help
the reader "know" what the distant jingle of bells is.)